Forbidden
by the-beginning-of-the-end
Summary: The Traitor was forbidden to join them in anything. All because he broke a promise that he'd never actually made, one that Naruto himself created to sooth his own desperate soul. And with this promise now broken, Naruto goes about moving on the hard way


AN: Well, here's another one. Written for my friend Simera for Xmas. She's read it, so i can post it now. I tried something different with this one, it's from Sakura's point of view instead. I normally don't like her, but i'm trying to make myself see her as a better character and hoping this will help me. I apologise now if this piece of writing confuses anyone . Feedback would be lovely.

Disclaimer: Of course i dont own it... jeez...

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_It took six long years for him to finally realise it wasn't going to happen, that it was impossible for things to go back to the way they were. And this stone, with it's many names carved into it, was the one thing that reminded me of this sad truth constantly._

I remember meeting him for ramen, the same as every other morning. Except this time, he didn't place the Traitor's headband on the chair that normally sat open between us. We'd leave it open if, for some bizarre reason, HE'd show up to eat with us. I'd given up hope of that ever happening somewhere along the way, but kept quiet, because Naruto still had hope, and if he wanted to save a place for the boy who was once our friend, I wasn't going to stop him. But the day the headband was absent from the counter and Naruto took the seat directly beside me, I felt a wave of pity for the fox boy. Neither of us said anything about the matter as we ordered, ate, paid and left.

As usual, I walked him home. We went inside and I headed for the small kitchen. He went to his room to change into training gear. I put water onto boil and got the three ceramic cups from the overhead cupboard. Placing them on the stone counter, I put a scoop of instant coffee in two of them, a tea bag in the third. I'd never really liked the taste of coffee. Naruto had instantly fallen in love with it, so I guess we'd just assumed the Traitor would have too. It didn't take Naruto long to join me in the kitchen, now in dark blue shorts and a dark blue t-shirt with orange tears through it. Dark blue was HIS color... I filled the cups with the hot water, careful not to spill. It's rather amazing how routine our lives had become; meet for ramen, back to his place for drinks, he'd go off to train with Neji, Lee or Shikamaru (depending on who was free that day), I'd go train with Tsunade-sama, he'd come around to my house at six and eat dinner with me and my family before going home to sleep or train some more. The same every day. Maybe he thought it'd make it easier for the Traitor to fit back in, to mold into the basic pattern of his dreary life. Or maybe he just didn't want to move forward, because moving forward would mean he'd be faced with new people who could potentially hurt him. Maybe he just didn't want to be hurt again. Without a word to me, he took the third cup, the Traitor's cup, and emptied the coffee into the sink. There was nothing in his eyes when he threw the cup into the trash can in the corner. He then picked up his own drink and carried it back through into the living room.

_Even now as I stand before the large stone, shaky hands tracing my blonde friend's name etched onto it far too early, I can still remember the hollow feeling that rose in my chest as my eyes locked onto the scratched headband lying on his kitchen floor against the far wall._

Clutching said headband to my chest, I hurried into the living room, desperate to find out what had dragged my friend down so low.

"I joined ANBU."

Those three words stopped me instantly. Naruto wasn't looking at me when he said them, his blue eyes instead locked onto something in his hands. It took me a moment to realize that it was the Hokage necklace. My eyes widened in shock. If Naruto had _that_ necklace, then...

I remember when the necklace had gone missing. It was two months after Naruto had returned to Konoha and I was called in to confirm the chakra signature in Tsunade-sama's office belonged to the Traitor. I had recognized it instantly and wanted to keep the Traitor's presence in the village a secret from Naruto, lest he go and do something stupid. But Kakashi-sensei disagreed. He told Naruto and I was there to see the blank look on Naruto's face as he said that he already knew the Traitor had been back, and it would be okay, because the Traitor had promised to return something to him and would be back to stay any day now.

_The day Naruto told me he had joined ANBU, the day the Traitor was forbidden to join us in our routine, I knew the Traitor, as promised, had returned and given Naruto the Hokage necklace he stole all that time ago. But he hadn't stayed as the blonde had anticipated._

_The other day on my way to training, I overheard Tsunade-sama talking with Kakashi-sensei. The older Uchiha had been killed. The Traitor had extracted his hard-earned revenge. He'd avenged the Uchiha clan. Finally. Maybe now he'd come back. But what was the point? The only trace of Naruto left in Konoha was his name scratched on this stone and his apartment, still the way it was when he left, but with his ANBU mask lying on the neatly made bed and his forehead protector lying next to the photo of Team Seven on the dresser. There was nothing left for the Traitor here in Konoha either._

_But wherever he is, I know he's fighting for more revenge. This time, he's going after Naruto's killer. This time he isn't avenging his flesh and blood, but his_ real _family._


End file.
